I recently visited Kashima Rinkai Railway for the first time in five years. What's new with this local railway in Ibaraki Prefecture?
It's not the most recent, but in March, 2020, the company celebrated its 35th anniversary of the Oarai-Kashima line. Going back to the history of Kashima Rinkai Railway, it was established as a freight railway company in 1969. The company firstly opened a freight line named the Kashima-rinko line (19.2 kilometers) in 1970, then the company opened a passenger line, namely the Oarai-Kashima line in 1985. Connecting Mito, a major city in the prefecture and Kashima-jingu, the operating length of the Oarai-Kashima line is 53 kilometers. The track is single and non-electrified. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters. Diesel railcars are operated every 20 to 90 minutes. Local people, specifically high school students, are the main users of the Oarai-Kashima line.
The main fleet for passenger transportation is the 20 meters-long diesel railcar, 6000 series, launched in 1985. 19 carriages in total were built by Nippon Sharyo and Niigata Tekko from 1985 to 1993. Eleven carriages are still operated on the line. It has a 230PS/1,900rpm with a liquid transmission. The maximum speed is 95 kilometers per hour. It can accommodate up to 120 passengers. The red colored body with a white colored stripe is the symbol of this railway company. The 6000 series has four doors and semi-cross seats.
In 2016, the company launched a new model, the 8000 series. I'm going to introduce it next time.
